BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A potential government shutdown looms as Congress faces a Tuesday night deadline to reach a compromise for a stopgap bill, with potential effects starting as early as Wednesday morning for Western New York residents and businesses.
The potential shutdown would be the first since 2018, after President Trump canceled a scheduled White House meeting this week with Democratic leaders.
If Congress fails to approve a short-term funding plan, called a “continuing resolution,” the federal government shuts down. Since 1980, there have been 14 government shutdowns, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
WNY organizations are already preparing for the worst-case scenario.
At The Service Collaborative in Downtown Buffalo, a workforce development nonprofit, Executive Director Kate Sarata is bracing for significant disruptions to operations.
"If a shutdown were to happen, we would essentially have to pause programming until the government were to reopen," Sarata said.
The organization, which employs 21 people and serves more than two dozen participants, relies heavily on federal funding. The potential shutdown creates concerns beyond just programming interruptions.
"The sticky situation of it is, it's not just the programming, it's really the lives of the staff at the organization, it's the lives of the participants in the programs, and it's the work that we do in our community," Sarata said.
Jacob Neiheisel, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo, warns that the shutdown's impact will be widespread and noticeable.
"It's becoming more and more likely that a shutdown is going to happen," Neiheisel said.
The shutdown could cause delays at airports, slow down processing of government paperwork, and impact federal food assistance programs like WIC. Federal employees will also be furloughed during the shutdown.
"Here in Western New York, families rely on the federal government for safe food, clean drinking water, lifesaving medical research, public safety, and so much more. From delays at Social Security offices and in the federal courts to essential employees at the FBI, TSA, and National Weather Service being forced to work without pay, our community will suffer because of this Republican shutdown," Rep. Ted Kennedy (D-NY26) said.
When the government shuts down, non-essential federal workers may be furloughed, which means they are put on unpaid leave. In total, the U.S. has over two million civilian federal employees.
"People are going to be somewhat surprised at how much the federal government does, and that's going to be very apparent when it's not there in its full capacity," Neiheisel said.
A shutdown doesn't mean everything stops, but it does mean many services people take for granted could slow down or disappear altogether.
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